Local vs. central institutional review boards (IRBs): how local IRBs in Georgia view the use of localized vs. centralized IRBs

The Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) proposes the largest change to the Code of Federal Regulations pertaining to research in twenty years. With the advent of multisite clinical trials many regulatory issues have arisenin particular the benefit of Local Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) versus central IRB review. Staff members of IRBs at academic medical centers in Georgia were interviewed to assess their experiences working with both types of IRB review and the impact it has had at their institutions. Data from the study revealed that employees of local IRBs are open to the use of central IRB review.